With mountain summits rising above 3,000 feet as close as a mile from the shoreline, there is a region that North Coast Land Conservancy (NCLC) calls the Coastal Edge. Located between Tillamook Head and Nehalem Bay, the area is an unusually compressed, biogeographically concentrated ecosystem, unlike that anywhere else on the Oregon Coast. Part of the Coastal Edge shoreline lies within Oswald West State Park, which is the gateway to Cape Falcon Marine Reserve, the newest of Oregon’s near-shore areas set aside to protect the ocean’s biological diversity. Join Chrissy Smith, Outreach Coordinator for the Friends of Cape Falcon Marine Reserve, on a hike to Cape Falcon. Katie Voelke, executive director of NCLC, will join the hike as well.

The hike to Cape Falcon is 5 miles round-trip with moderate elevation gain. It is on a well-developed trail that can be muddy in places. No toilets at the trailhead, but toilets are located in the next parking lot to the south.

Please leave dogs at home. Bring water and snacks/lunch. Wear sturdy walking shoes and dress for the day’s weather. Binoculars are always great to bring along for spotting wildlife.